One of the first examples of a tent roof on a non-wooden church, the the region of Kolomenskoye is located in Moscow, several miles southeast of city center.

Curonian Spit (2000)

An elongated sand dune peninsula that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. Located in the Kaliningrad region (as well as Lithuania), the Curonian Spit has been the site of human habitation dating back to prehistoric times.

Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery (2000)

Located in the Vologda region (north European Russia)

Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin (2000)

Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent (2003)

Located in eastern Caucasus on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, Dagestan region

Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent, Moscow (2004)

Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl (2005)

Struve Geodetic Arc (2005)

A chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km (1,752 miles).

The 1816 to 1855 survey by von Struve sought to establish the exact size and shape of the earth.

While the survey passed through the Russian Empire, the only two points in modern day Russia are on the island of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland (Leningrad Oblast).

The title of “Hero City” was awarded to a total of 13 Soviet cities, 7 in present day Russia, 4 in Ukraine and 2 in Belarus. For more information about Hero Cities, including cities in Ukraine and Belarus, follow the link.

Russian cities with the distinction of Hero City include…

Leningrad (Saint Petersburg): Siege of Leningrad from September 1941 to January 1944

Stalingrad (Volgograd): Battle of Stalingrad from July 1942 to February 1943

Moscow: Battle of Moscow, October 1941 to January 1942 defensive and counter-attack

Novorossiysk: August 1942 to September 1942 defense of the city and it’s port

Tula: October 1941 to December 1941 defense against Germans trying to advance on Moscow

Murmansk: 1941 defense against axis forces trying to capture the important northern port

Smolensk: Battle of Smolensk, July 1941 to September 1941 resistance that considerably slowed the Germans advance towards Moscow

Vladivostok Fortress

One of the strongest coastal fortresses of its era, the Vladivostok Fortress is a testament to Russian military engineering of the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Site of interest: Museum of the Vladivostok Fortress, site of the historic Bezymiannaya Battery on Battery Hill